What do pigeons eat and how to feed them correctly

Feeding pigeons has become one of the pleasant traditions in modern parks, squares and courtyards. Beautiful birds in urban conditions need feeding, and people happily pour seeds on them, crush bread and buns. Few people think about whether it is right to offer such food to pigeons, whether it will harm. It is especially important to find out which diet is good for birds before breeding them in a targeted manner.

What does a pigeon eat

Pigeons are not omnivorous. Living in cities, they have to be content with any food waste and feeding provided by humans. But the stomach of a bird, designed to digest a completely different food, quickly fails. City pigeons live about 3 seasons and die not from hunger, but from indigestion, when the stomach is unable to digest abundant, but unsuitable food.

In nature, the diet of pigeons is simple - any grains, seeds, small nuts and greens. The flowering tops of herbs or baskets with seeds are of particular value for nutrition. City grass is regularly mowed, and trees and bushes are pruned, so birds have to be content with what humans have to offer.

When breeding birds at home, it is possible to feed them in a balanced way. Taking into account the needs of pigeons as much as possible, the active life can really be extended to 15-20 years. It is not difficult to feed domesticated birds in a varied and healthy way. The diet does not contain exotic or inaccessible foods. It is worth thinking about healthy feeding for pigeons, even just going for a walk in the city park.

Where to feed the pigeons

If everything is clear with poultry - it is customary to feed it in a dovecote or from feeders on the street, then with urban birds everything is not so simple. Feeding whole flocks in a plaza or playground is romantic looking and very popular with kids, but there is another side to the process.

Pigeons are quick to train. By starting to feed them periodically in one place, you can guarantee the regular arrival of a huge number of birds. Such places will very soon be marked by layers of droppings, making walks with children more problematic and areas and sidewalks less well-groomed.

Therefore, it is better to feed pigeons in the city, observing several rules:

1. They feed the birds where their congestion will not cause inconvenience: on lawns, in plantings, parks where there is no active pedestrian traffic, playgrounds.
2. To feed pigeons, they use special bird food, cereals, cereals, apples, leafy vegetables. Avoid baked goods and other foods not common to birds.
3. After contact with birds, be sure to wash their hands, as after communicating with any stray animals.

You can even feed city pigeons, which are accustomed to human attention, from your hands. Few can resist the temptation to offer grain directly to a bird from the palm of their hand.

How often to feed pigeons

How often to feed poultry depends on the season. In different seasons, the nutritional needs of pigeons are different. The meal time is selected according to the length of the day.

The mobility of poultry in cold weather is limited; they spend most of the day in special rooms. Pigeons should be fed in winter no more than 2 times a day, preferably during daylight hours. The first time - no earlier than 8 o'clock in the morning, the second - before sunset, or no later than 18.00. The onset of the warm season requires feeding the pets 3 times a day. The period of rearing the offspring will require strict adherence to the 8-hour interval: about 5 am, at 13.00 and no later than 21.00.

Feeding in summer and autumn should be with an eye on the fact that the birds fly most of the day, getting their own food. It is possible to limit yourself to complementary foods, sometimes filling the feeders.

How to feed pigeons properly

For the full development of breeding pigeons and obtaining healthy offspring, it is important not only how to feed the birds, but also how to do it correctly.

Basic principles:

1. A small stomach volume requires fractional nutrition. It is not enough to feed enough domestic pigeons once a day.
2. The feed rate should be roughly calculated based on the size of the birds, their activity and the season. Domestic pigeons do not benefit from overfeeding or forcibly feeding them. Lack of appetite may indicate a disease or lack of vitamins.
3. Between feedings, you should clean the feeders from old food, sweep the floor of the dovecote. Picking up stale food off the floor is a major cause of disease in poultry.
4. It is unacceptable to feed pigeons with human kitchen waste. Bird porridge is prepared separately.
5. Even the most balanced diet of cereals and herbs is not enough for a house pigeon. Vitamin and mineral supplements will be required.

The approximate serving size for one adult light breed bird is 20 to 30 g per day. Large individuals of heavy breeds will need to feed twice as much.

How to feed pigeons at home

The poultry ration is made up according to the general scheme, where there are mandatory items and parts that can be replaced.

The basic principles of composing feed for pigeons:

• 40% of the grain portion is allocated to barley, if necessary, it is briefly replaced with barley;
• 30% of the diet - wheat;
• 10% of the feed is millet.

The rest of the components are added arbitrarily:

• legumes: lentils, peas (yellow), beans, vetch;
• oilseeds: hemp, rapeseed, sunflower, flax;
• oatmeal or whole oats;
• raw cereals and cereals from them.

It is imperative to add greens to the diet every day: fresh or dried grass, berries (can be dried), chopped cabbage, apples, raw or boiled vegetables according to the season.

What can you feed pigeons in winter

The diet in cold weather is changed based on the low mobility of birds. Pigeons should be fed less often (twice a day), birds respond well to boiled foods: potatoes, cereals, vegetables. Greens are replaced by dried herbs, dill, parsley, alfalfa.

Feeding pigeons at home in winter should be, reducing the proportion of protein in the composition. This is how they regulate the sexual activity of birds, preventing untimely laying of eggs. For this, legumes are excluded from the mixtures and the proportion of wheat is reduced. Replenish the diet with oats or barley.

Some cereals are completely replaced by boiled vegetables (for example, potatoes), mixed with bran. Closer to spring, they begin to feed with an increase in the proportion of oilseeds, and 2 weeks before the intended mating, they begin to give hemp seeds.

How to feed domestic pigeons in spring

The approach of spring allows the pigeons to be fed, returning to the standard scheme.It is imperative to add special preparations of vitamins and microelements to the diet.

Especially important for birds:

• copper;
• manganese;
• iron;
• potassium;
• zinc;
• cobalt.

If there are not enough elements with nutrition, the egg shell becomes thin, the growth of chicks slows down, bones and ligaments in adults are weakened.

The presence of all trace elements in pharmaceutical preparations that are purchased for pigeons should be checked. Phosphorus, sodium, calcium must be added additionally, these macronutrients are especially necessary. In the spring, they often feed poultry with grated carrots, apples, pumpkin. It is important to monitor your feed intake. Overeating, pigeons become lethargic and start to hurt.

The better to feed pigeons in summer

During a period when birds move a lot and spend more energy, you should carefully monitor their feeding behavior. With daily departures, pigeons can find food on their own. If the birds eat less than usual, then three meals a day will not be required. Pigeons should be fed in moderation, mainly with peas, buckwheat, millet, rapeseed, vetch.

If there are no decent food sources nearby and the birds return hungry, the diet is left full, three meals a day. Birds drink a lot in hot weather, so water should be topped up more often.

What can you feed a pigeon at home in the fall

From July, most pigeons begin to molt, this period will last until late autumn. Feeding the birds should take into account the increased need for protein. Usually, the proportion of legumes is increased, but wheat is completely removed due to the danger of provoking sexual activity.

To stimulate the regrowth of new feathers, the body of pigeons needs sulfur. Birds should be fed with mineral supplements, adding cobalt sulfate monthly. There are special preparations based on sulfur, designed to feed pigeons during feather changes.

Feeding pigeons during the breeding season

Protein feeds are most suitable for this period. The daily rate is increased to 60 g per bird, the proportion of wheat and peas is increased. The pigeons in the dovecote are fed mainly with wet cereal mixtures seasoned with yogurt or skim milk.

Before laying, it is appropriate to feed the birds with sprouted grain, add mineral supplements with calcium and phosphorus. It is imperative that you discuss vitamin A supplements suitable for pigeons with your veterinarian. This substance directly affects the intensity of the clutch. Vitamin B2, which is responsible for the survival of the embryo, is found in germinated cereals. With the onset of the breeding period, the proportion of such grain must be brought to 10%.

Feed additives

Fresh or dried herbs are compulsory. You can grow the grass yourself or mow in places that are not prone to chemical pollution, away from roads and factories.

Natural materials are used as mineral additives:

• ground shells;
• charcoal;
• brick chips;
• old lime;
• coarse river sand;
• dried egg shells.

Pigeons should be fed boiled cereals or vegetables with the obligatory addition of salt. It is an essential ingredient in a balanced diet for birds, but exceeding the norm is dangerous for their health. The salt concentration is calculated based on 10 g (1 tsp) of the product per 500 ml of water. When feeding dry cereals, salt should be added to the drinker regularly. Whole crystals burn the goiter of birds, so they give a completely dissolved feeding.

Insufficient intake of vitamins or minerals is indicated by lethargy of pigeons, loss of appetite, ruffled or dull feathers, diarrhea. It is especially important to use supplements during breeding, rearing and molting.

What can you feed pigeons outside in winter

The best option for feeding wild pigeons is to hang special feeders on trees: in squares, parks, on small green islands. By regularly filling containers with products useful for birds, they relieve them of the need to find food in garbage containers, in landfills.

In winter, street birds especially need energy for warmth and flight. And from suitable food, rare bushes and trees with frozen berries remain. Therefore, it is especially appropriate to feed pigeons in winter. Any cereals are suitable for filling the feeders, but pearl barley, wheat, buckwheat are best and most useful.

How to feed a wounded pigeon

A weakened body needs enhanced nutrition to recover. But it often happens that a wounded bird has no appetite. Instead of trying to force feed, start by taking a multivitamin. For birds, it is convenient to use forms in drops. Vitamins are dripped directly into the beak or added to water.

A few drops of vitamin preparations can completely change the situation. In a few days, appetite will be restored and the bird can be fed fully, based on the described schemes. Until recovery and wound healing, nutrition is made fortified, with the obligatory addition of sprouted grains and herbs.

If the injury is serious and veterinarian intervention is required, the specialist will advise the necessary medications. In any other case, feeding a wounded bird is permissible with specialized food for parrots and vitamin complexes for birds from a pet store.

FAQ

Those who have never come across professional breeding of pigeons have a lot of questions if it is necessary to leave a randomly selected bird. Clarification of some features is required for feeding street pigeons, and especially for breeding in an equipped dovecote.

Is it possible to feed pigeons with bread

Products baked from flour with the use of yeast are absolutely not intended for birds. The high salt content and the ability to ferment in the stomach stop the digestion process, making it impossible to fully process even healthy "bird" food.

Thus, the body of the pigeon receives little energy. This condition is especially dangerous in winter. This threatens hypothermia and death of the bird. It is not worth feeding pigeons with white bread either in the dovecote or on the street. Black bread is even more harmful to birds due to the presence of gluten.

Is it possible to feed pigeons with buckwheat

It is permissible to mix cereals with grain feed, cook porridge, steam with bran. Buckwheat is good for birds in any form. With enhanced nutrition in spring and summer, it is permissible to bring the amount of cereals to 5% of the total diet. It is useful to feed pigeons with unrefined buckwheat grain in spring, but it is worth limiting the amount of such complementary foods due to the hard pericarp.

Is it possible to feed pigeons with pearl barley

Barley is the basis of a healthy diet for domestic pigeons. Barley, like processed barley groats, can replace it for a while. Boiled cereals are offered to chicks whose feed is not yet sufficiently digested in the goiter. Feeding street pigeons is also acceptable with store-bought barley.

Is it possible to feed pigeons with rice

Common white or unrefined brown grains are used as an addition to dry mixes. Boiled rice grits with crushed chalk are administered as a food supplement or medicine for indigestion. But if you feed the pigeons with rice and porridge for a long time, then the birds may experience nervous system disorders.

Is it possible to feed pigeons with peas

Peas, like other legumes, are an excellent source of protein for birds. The amount of yellow, crushed peas in the diet should not exceed 10% during the main period, drop to 5% in winter and increase to 20% during the breeding season.

It is useful to feed pigeons with legumes when transporting, rearing chicks and during molting. A prolonged increase in the proportion of protein feed in the absence of active flights can lead to obesity in birds.

Is it possible to feed pigeons with seeds

Sunflower seeds are a valuable food product for birds. Oily grains supply the pigeon's body with essential fatty acids, and the tough peel contains a lot of useful microelements. Raw seeds can be used as a supplement and sometimes as the basis of the diet. Dullness of plumage, untimely molt - a signal to add oilseeds to the feed.

Is it possible to feed pigeons with oatmeal

The processed product is easily digestible, flattened grains can be useful for feeding weakened, sick birds and feeding young animals. If necessary, up to 50% of the total feed is replaced with oatmeal for a short time. It is not worth overusing food that is easy to digest. The goiter and stomach of a pigeon requires constant stress and needs rigid components.

Is it possible to feed pigeons with oats

Raw materials with hulls are more suitable for feeding poultry than flakes. Sown oats contain a lot of fiber, coarse fibers, and the fruit part is easily absorbed in the body. But only large species of pigeons can be fed with such grain.

Half of the unpeeled oats in the diet is recommended to be given after steaming. To do this, the grain is boiled for 10 minutes, the oats are strained and dried a little. For cooking, water should be salted at the usual rate.

What can not be fed to pigeons

In the diet of unpretentious and resistant birds to different conditions, there are still quite strict restrictions:

1. Bread (black, white, yeast-free), baked goods, sweet, salty, fried dough. As a last resort, it is permissible to feed the pigeons with white crumbled bread crumbs.
2. Fermented milk products, cottage cheese contribute to the leaching of calcium from the body of the bird.
3. Fish and any seafood, shellfish, snails.
4. Meat in any form.

Several types of feed can be used to a limited extent. Seeds are offered exclusively to large individuals and are fed in small quantities due to the tough, poorly digestible shells.

Millet is an excellent product suitable for all types of birds, but feeding pigeons with millet is only possible as a last resort. In a grain peeled from a shell, oxidation processes begin quickly. Over time, there are fewer useful substances than harmful ones. It is better to feed poultry not with millet, but with whole grains of millet unpeeled.

Conclusion

Feeding pigeons seems like a noble and simple enough exercise. But, not knowing the peculiarities of the digestion of birds, it is easy for them to harm. Beautiful domestic pigeons with shiny feathers, characterized by increased strength and endurance, are the result of the painstaking work of their owners, who provided the birds with excellent care and balanced nutrition.

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